2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ueltschi
A surname of Swiss origin derived from a topographic feature or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Ueltschi. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ueltschi surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Ueltschi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ueltschi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ueltschi
The surname Ueltschi originated in Switzerland, likely in the late Middle Ages or early modern period. It is a Swiss-German name derived from the Old High German word "uolcilo," which means "little wolf." This suggests that the name may have been a nickname or descriptive name referring to someone with wolf-like characteristics or who lived near a place associated with wolves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the 16th century Swiss census records from the canton of Bern. The spelling variations found in these records include Uoltschi, Uoltzchi, and Uoltzschi. These variations reflect the regional dialects and orthographic conventions of the time.
In the 17th century, the name Ueltschi can be found in church records from the town of Burgdorf, located in the Emmental region of Switzerland. One notable individual from this era was Hans Ueltschi, a farmer born in 1621 and recorded in the Burgdorf parish registers.
The 18th century saw the Ueltschi family spread to other parts of Switzerland, with records showing individuals bearing the name in the cantons of Lucerne and Aargau. One prominent figure was Jakob Ueltschi (1745-1821), a merchant and landowner in the town of Zofingen, Aargau.
As the Ueltschi family continued to disperse in the 19th century, some members migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. Johann Ueltschi (1804-1879) was a Swiss-born farmer who settled in the Russian Empire, establishing the family line in what is now Ukraine.
Other notable individuals with the Ueltschi surname include:
1. Hans Ueltschi (1552-1618), a Swiss military officer who served in the French Wars of Religion.
2. Anna Ueltschi (1675-1743), a midwife and herbalist from the village of Sumiswald, known for her extensive knowledge of traditional remedies.
3. Johann Rudolf Ueltschi (1723-1798), a Swiss clockmaker and watchmaker renowned for his intricate timepieces.
4. Gottlieb Ueltschi (1801-1872), a Swiss educator and author who wrote several textbooks on mathematics and geography.
5. Katharina Ueltschi (1855-1933), a Swiss philanthropist and benefactor who funded the construction of a hospital in her hometown of Langnau.
While the Ueltschi name has its roots in Switzerland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by descendants of the original Swiss families. However, the surname's origins can be traced back to the Swiss-German regions, where it emerged as a descriptive name or nickname in the medieval or early modern period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ueltschi
Among Census respondents with the surname Ueltschi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ueltschi bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ueltschi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ueltschi
Ueltschi appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+11 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,043 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 2,043 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ueltschi surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ueltschi bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Ueltschi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ueltschi?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Ueltschi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Ueltschi?
Ueltschi ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Ueltschi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ueltschi.
Has Ueltschi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ueltschi went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Ueltschi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ueltschi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ueltschi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ueltschi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ueltschi (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ueltschi mean?
A surname of Swiss origin derived from a topographic feature or place name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ueltschi (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Ueltschi?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Ueltschi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.